A recap of the Hawks’ 117-107 loss to the Timberwolves Monday.
Noteworthy
* The Hawks nearly pulled off the third largest comeback in NBA history after being down by 34 points.
* The Hawks have recorded at least 30 assists in each of the past three games, as they had 30 assists on 42 field goals.
* Kent Bazemore recorded five steals. He joins Paul Millsap (twice) and Jeff Teague to have that many in a game this season.
* Al Horford, Teague and Millsap have scored in double figures in all nine games.
* The Hawks scored 35 points off 19 Timberwolves turnovers.
* Monday morning, Horford recalled meeting a 14-year-old Karl-Anthony Towns when a Kentucky-assembled team scrimmage the Dominican National Team. “I was like ‘Oh my God, this kid is huge,’” Horford said. He added: “I think that he has exceeded expectations so quick. I thought he’d have a chance (to be good) but it’s impressive how far he’s come and how fast.”
Key stat
72
First-half points scored by the Timberwolves as they shot .638 (30 of 47) from the field, .500 (4 of 8) from the 3-point line and .889 (8 of 9) from the free-throw line.
Quote of the game
“You just get mad. You are down 30 points and you are embarrassed. It happens. We played seven games in 10 days and we played really hard in that stretch. You come off an off day and for whatever reason we didn’t come out with the right sense of urgency and intensity. We all have a little pride and we showed it in the second half.” – Kyle Korver on difference between first and second halves.
Report card
Offense: C-plus
The Hawks had a terrible start, missing eight of their first nine shots. They got in the early hole – that increased to more than 30 points – before a comeback. They committed 17 turnovers that led to 23 Timberwolves’ points. The Hawks get credit for the huge comeback, including a 42-point third quarter. However, they missed their final eight shots after taking a one-point lead with 3:25 remaining, their only advantage of the game.
Defense: F
The Hawks allowed 72 first-half points and trailed by as many as 34 points in the second quarter. That alone is worth the failing grade. Sure, the defense picked up in the second half. However, they lost the game by allowing the Timberwolves to score the final 11 points, including eight straight by Andrew Wiggins.
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